The purpose of Forensics is to develop public speaking skills and have fun while speaking in public. There are several categories in which to compete. A description of each category is listed below, as well as recommended links for forensics pieces following the description. Some of the links are commercial and have ads. The Forensics moderator is Mrs. Hlywiak.
National Catholic Forensics League - Supports high school speech and debate activities for public, private, and parochial high schools. Includes a link to resources.
National Forensics League - Provides debate topics and resources. Resources for middle school are located under "Quick Links" on the right of the homepage.
Forensics Online - You will need to create a free account to use this site.
Original Oratory
The contestant prepares a four to seven minute speech of his own choosing. The speech must be persuasive or informative in nature. The speech must be delivered without notes. The speech should have a clear central idea. The main points should support the central idea. There should be sufficient and timely evidence to convince the audience. The introduction and the conclusion should be effective, and the transition should be smooth within the speech. The speaker should demonstrate originality of thought.
Declamation
The contestant delivers without notes a speech publicly given by someone else. Speeches may be edited to fit a four to seven minute time requirement, and must be preceded by a brief introduction - 30 to 45 seconds - that identifies the author and the situation in which the speech was originally given. The selection should be appropriate to the speaker and the situation. Thus, the speech should not be above the comprehension of the speaker or the audience (6th, 7th and 8th grade students). The speaker's main purpose is to communicate his or her understanding to the audience. The speaker's task is not to mimic the original speaker's personality or voice.
American Rhetoric - Movie speeches, political speeches and Top 100 speeches
LibrarySpot - Includes presidential and graduation speeches and rhetoric.
Speeches and Transcripts - A portal site from the State University of New York (Albany) with links to speeches from NPR, Meet the Press, graduation speeches and more.
Selections used in this reading event must have literary merit and be suited to the speaker. The introduction and reading selection should range between four and seven minutes, with no more than forty-five seconds spent on the introduction. The piece is not memorized and the manuscript is kept in a small binder that is held in one of the speaker's hands. The speaker reads from the selection; he or she is not engaged in acting or dramatic impersonation, but in reading materials which illicit a response from the listener. Still, the reader must maintain a balance of reading the manuscript and making eye contact with the audience. The prose selection may be taken from essays, short stories, or novels, and may nor may not be contain character dialogue. Selections from movies or plays are not permitted in this category. Poetry contestants may choose to recite one long poem or several short poems that are related by theme or common author.
Poetry:
Giggle Poetry- Poems to make you laugh (and guffaw).
LibrarySpot - Includes links and portals to poetry.
Selections used in this reading event must have literary merit and be suited to the speaker. The interpretation should provide a challenge and be suitable for an educational experience. The material should be from a play or literary selection that involves an exchange between two characters. An interpreter may represent only one character; multiple character duo is acceptable but not common in most tournaments at this level. The speaker must hold the manuscript in his or her hand. The reading is not meant to be a dramatic impersonation or act, but a reading which still interests the audience. Contestants must maintain an off-stage focus and may not make eye contact with each other except during the introduction. Props and costumes are not allowed. The time limit is four to seven minutes with a maximum forty-five second introduction.
Brooklyn Publishers - Purchase and download duo skits. Check the Destiny catalog for several duos published by this company.
Fiat Library - Check the Destiny catalog or browse the shelves of the poetry, short story or Everybody collections. You may also adapt your favorite fiction book. The corner bookcase contains a selection of materials specifically for Forensics, including binders with speeches from past competitions and Duo pieces that can be checked out.
Topics for Internet Searches
Make sure that you have accurately chosen a category (poetry, prose, declamation, original oratory, and duo).
Have more than one copy of your material. Enlarge your piece or re-type it in a much larger font and triple space between lines. You will be able to write notes to yourself about tone (loudness or softness), places to pause for effect, and places for eye contact and gestures.
Attend all practice sessions! During these practice sessions, you will recite / read your piece for the coaches and your teammates.
Practice, practice, practice!!!! Practice reading your piece out loud at home everyday. Time yourself. Your piece must be at least 4 minutes and no longer than 7 minutes. This time limit includes the introduction, which is 30 to 45 minutes in length.
Start reading and using eye contact with a family member and a student practice partner. Take advantage of study activity periods to practice.
Prose, poetry, duo and declamation require an introduction written by you. These few sentences set the scene, offer information about the title, the author, and the history of the speech or literary piece. The introduction should "tease" the listener and entice them to hear more. The introduction must be memorized even in interpretation categories.
Essentials of a Good Introduction
Explain what is happening and what will happen in the piece (just enough to tease us!)
Discuss an important point or insight that the piece offers the listener
Develop the theme of the piece so the listener can see how the piece can be useful or helpful
State the name and author of the piece
Sample Introductions
Not all heroes find courage easily. Some of them try to avoid a challenge, only to find it waiting and offering them now way out. In John Carroll's "Headlong into the Storm", Terrence, a Navy cook, discusses his unexpected heroic behavior on a World War II battleship during a typhoon.
What does the American flag mean to you? It is a powerful symbol that can evoke different reactions from different people. Does it mean the same to you if you are rich or poor, black or white, imprisoned or free? "High and Mighty" by Sara Long and "Keep it Waving" by John Lee are two poems that when read side-by-side show powerful contrasts. As you listen, consider what would make your view of American freedom to change.
Look for literature that follows this basic criteria:
universal in theme
memorable beyond the immediate moment
tailor matched to the contestant
Follow these basic presentation techniques:
Don't allow physical actions to overshadow the spoken word
Allow voice, face, eyes, and gestures to work together
Realize the importance of the relationship with the audience
Remember the binder is the reminder that this is literature and not a performance
Ways to Improve the Presentation
Quality of the reading should be strong (intense, sincere, and with feeling)
Characters should have unique voices, gestures and mannerisms (full personalities)
Carefully cut sections of the piece that don't add to the theme and interest of the presentation. Don't allow cuttings to take away from the storyline or compromise the flow of the action
Practice! A lot! In front of a mirror, in front of the family, in front of friends. Practice in front of anyone who will listen! Tape yourself, video yourself, listen to yourself.
Search for a piece (browse the Library shelves, use Destiny or the links above, see the Forensics Corner)
Time the piece; if too long, cut it and if too short, consider a new piece
Make sure you can answer these questions about your piece: Who is speaking? To whom is the speaker speaking? Where is the speaker speaking? When is the speaker speaking? How is the speaker speaking? Why is the speaker speaking?
Go through the piece and underline (on your copy!!) any words you can't pronounce or understand the meaning. Ask for help or look for the word in the dictionary.
Review the characteristics of your category and what judges consider the most important.
Begin to type your piece! If you use a binder, get one from the library and format your piece so that it fits inside the binder and the pages can be turned easily. Triple space your lines so you can write comments in between if necessary. Speeches should be re-typed after they are cut!
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!!! You cannot improve or be given any sort of help to improve if you do not do your part! If your piece needs to be memorized, start out with small sections and add on a little every week.
Write your introduction. See above for ideas. Be sure it grabs the listener's interest and that it has stated the important information such as the name and author of the piece. It should be no longer than 45 seconds in length. Be sure it is memorized for all categories.
Forensics
The purpose of Forensics is to develop public speaking skills and have fun while speaking in public. There are several categories in which to compete. A description of each category is listed below, as well as recommended links for forensics pieces following the description. Some of the links are commercial and have ads. The Forensics moderator is Mrs. Hlywiak.Forensics Introduction
National Catholic Forensics League - Supports high school speech and debate activities for public, private, and parochial high schools. Includes a link to resources.
National Forensics League - Provides debate topics and resources. Resources for middle school are located under "Quick Links" on the right of the homepage.
Forensics Online - You will need to create a free account to use this site.
Original Oratory
The contestant prepares a four to seven minute speech of his own choosing. The speech must be persuasive or informative in nature. The speech must be delivered without notes. The speech should have a clear central idea. The main points should support the central idea. There should be sufficient and timely evidence to convince the audience. The introduction and the conclusion should be effective, and the transition should be smooth within the speech. The speaker should demonstrate originality of thought.
Declamation
The contestant delivers without notes a speech publicly given by someone else. Speeches may be edited to fit a four to seven minute time requirement, and must be preceded by a brief introduction - 30 to 45 seconds - that identifies the author and the situation in which the speech was originally given. The selection should be appropriate to the speaker and the situation. Thus, the speech should not be above the comprehension of the speaker or the audience (6th, 7th and 8th grade students). The speaker's main purpose is to communicate his or her understanding to the audience. The speaker's task is not to mimic the original speaker's personality or voice.
American Rhetoric - Movie speeches, political speeches and Top 100 speeches
Digital History - Search by author or keyword
Emerson Kent - Speeches range from ancient history to modern times and can be browsed by topic and speaker
Famous Short Speeches - Short speeches, including eulogies, ranging from Shakespeare to politics
Famous Speeches in History - Sports, Civil Rights, War, Presidential and Space Exploration speeches
The Speech Site - Includes famous speeches, student speeches, topics and a speech database.
The University of Iowa -
The History Place Great Speeches Collection - Lists famous speeches by year, speaker and title. To see the featured speech of the week, including audio, click here.
Gifts of Speech - A collection of women's speeches from around the world.
Great American Documents - Lists well-known political speeches.
LibrarySpot - Includes presidential and graduation speeches and rhetoric.
Speeches and Transcripts - A portal site from the State University of New York (Albany) with links to speeches from NPR, Meet the Press, graduation speeches and more.
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Poetry or Prose
Selections used in this reading event must have literary merit and be suited to the speaker. The introduction and reading selection should range between four and seven minutes, with no more than forty-five seconds spent on the introduction. The piece is not memorized and the manuscript is kept in a small binder that is held in one of the speaker's hands. The speaker reads from the selection; he or she is not engaged in acting or dramatic impersonation, but in reading materials which illicit a response from the listener. Still, the reader must maintain a balance of reading the manuscript and making eye contact with the audience. The prose selection may be taken from essays, short stories, or novels, and may nor may not be contain character dialogue. Selections from movies or plays are not permitted in this category. Poetry contestants may choose to recite one long poem or several short poems that are related by theme or common author.
Poetry:
Giggle Poetry- Poems to make you laugh (and guffaw).
LibrarySpot - Includes links and portals to poetry.
Poet's Corner - Search by poet and subject
Poets.org - The site of the Academy of American Poets. Search by poem title or by poet.
PoemHunter - This database contains 310, 931 poems linked by subject.
Prose:
American Literature - Features literary classics and short stories
Classic Short Stories - Search for stories by title or author
East of the Web - A collection of short stories in a variety of subjects. Includes a specific link to children's short stories.
Literature Network - Searchable database of 4,000 short stories and poems
World English - Contains unabridged classic short stories.
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Duo Interpretation
Selections used in this reading event must have literary merit and be suited to the speaker. The interpretation should provide a challenge and be suitable for an educational experience. The material should be from a play or literary selection that involves an exchange between two characters. An interpreter may represent only one character; multiple character duo is acceptable but not common in most tournaments at this level. The speaker must hold the manuscript in his or her hand. The reading is not meant to be a dramatic impersonation or act, but a reading which still interests the audience. Contestants must maintain an off-stage focus and may not make eye contact with each other except during the introduction. Props and costumes are not allowed. The time limit is four to seven minutes with a maximum forty-five second introduction.
Brooklyn Publishers - Purchase and download duo skits. Check the Destiny catalog for several duos published by this company.
Creative Ideas - Purchase duo skits.
Tibetian Tree Frog Publishing - Purchase duo skits for all categories.
Smith and Kraus - Purchase duo skits, monologues and more.
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Additional Resources
Fiat Library - Check the Destiny catalog or browse the shelves of the poetry, short story or Everybody collections. You may also adapt your favorite fiction book. The corner bookcase contains a selection of materials specifically for Forensics, including binders with speeches from past competitions and Duo pieces that can be checked out.
Topics for Internet Searches
- famous speeches
- Hall of Fame speeches
- Women's speeches
- Poetry for young people
- short stories
- skits for two people
- published speeches
return to topPractice Guidelines
Essentials of a Good Introduction
Sample Introductions
Not all heroes find courage easily. Some of them try to avoid a challenge, only to find it waiting and offering them now way out. In John Carroll's "Headlong into the Storm", Terrence, a Navy cook, discusses his unexpected heroic behavior on a World War II battleship during a typhoon.
What does the American flag mean to you? It is a powerful symbol that can evoke different reactions from different people. Does it mean the same to you if you are rich or poor, black or white, imprisoned or free? "High and Mighty" by Sara Long and "Keep it Waving" by John Lee are two poems that when read side-by-side show powerful contrasts. As you listen, consider what would make your view of American freedom to change.
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Interpretation Suggestions
Look for literature that follows this basic criteria:
Follow these basic presentation techniques:
Ways to Improve the Presentation
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To Do List